Ask-Dr-Kirk

60 Ways Educators Are Using Twitter

 

I think Twitter is a great tool for students to learn how to use professionally and have included Twitter assignments in several of my management courses. If you're thinking about using this tool, here are 60 examples of how educators are using twitter in the classroom.

 

Rubrics For Grading Student Presentations

Here are two rubrics you can tweak and use to grade student presentations.  These are in word format instead of PDF so you can change as needed.

Download presentation_rubric_1.doc (Developed by Information Technology Evaluation Services, NC Department of Public Instruction)

Download presentation_rubric_2.doc (Source: Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence, University of South Florida)  This one grades both presentation delivery and powerpoint visuals.

What Is SOPA? And Why Should I Care?

Anyone who doubts the power of social media hasn't been following the SOPA controversy this week. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act and it, along with related legislation, PIPA, has been a hot topic of discussion on the internet. I was trying to explain the issue to one of my students and found these resources.

Clay Shirky, author of Here Come Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, does an excellent job of explaining the history behind this move to pass the SOPA legislation and how it affects the public in this Ted Talk video.

 Wikipedia, Google, Wordpress, Craigslist, and many other sites made a statement on Wednesday, January 18, by blacking out their homepages or even their entire website, making these unavailable to the public.

The National Post did a Q&A on why this is an issue and why Facebook and Twitter decided not to participate in the blackout.

Jeff Ogden (@fearlesscomp) tweeted me this analogy: "The patient is very sick. But Congress wants medicine that will not only kill the patient, but lots of others too.

Ike Pigott (@ikepigott) explained it this way: "Those against SOPA are not "pro-piracy." They just believe there are better ways to kill crabgrass than Agent Orange."

Kirk Tuck (photographer) presents the opposite point of view as an artist.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the issue.

Amazing Use Of Dancers As Visual Aid Rather Than Powerpoint

John Bohannon uses dancers instead of powerpoint to discuss scientific topics and advocates that we all be more creative in our visual aids. Great thing to think about as we begin a new semester of teaching.

 

Classroom Management Issue: Cell Phones

 Dear Dr. Kirk,

My students think that I am just in another generation because I don't think they should be checking messages on their cellphones during class. Do you have any advice on this matter?

Dear Past Generation,

I tell my students that I am teaching them how to be successful in the work world. Their boss is not going to allow them to check for personal phone messages during a business meeting with a client. Thus, I tell them I expect that they come to class on time, turn off their cellphones, etc.  Checking cellphones during class is rude and disrespectful to both me and their fellow classmates.  I put all this on my syllabus and discuss it and why the first day of class. I bring my cellphone to class the first few classes and make an issue of showing them that I turn off my own phone during class.  I also tell them that if they anticipate an emergency call, they should tell me ahead of time (just as they would tell their boss) and put on vibrate.

Here and here are ways other professors have handled this issue.  Also, check out this video on how this teacher handles cellphone ringing during class (I have to think it was staged but I’m sure it got the students’ attention!) 

Just be sure to be consistent in how you handle any student that breaks your policy. I find using humor works for me:

        <Student phone rings>

Me: Stop lecture. Look at student. Say, "That better be for me!" Smile. 

Class: Laughs. Student looks sheepish and turns off phone.

And we then go right back to lecture or whatever doing in class.

If it's just a matter of them texting or checking messages, I'll go by the student's desk and quietly tell them to put the phone away during class. Or you might catch them after class and remind them what the policy is on the syllabus.

Anyone else out there have suggestions on cell phone usage in class?

Amazing Use Of iPads To Teach Music In The Classroom

Check out this video on how this company is helping schools teach music with iPads. I'm wanting an iPad myself now!

How To Read A Student Evaluation Of Your Teaching

I'm reading this article by Professor David D. Perlmutter (University of Iowa) on How To Read A Student Evaluation. He has lots of useful advice on how to use the feedback you get.

 

Related posts:

Evaluating your teaching

Does moving to an online evaluation system affect your teaching evals?

And...Interpreting those teaching evaluations (A little humor to make reading these more fun...)

 

Tips For Students On Using Google Search More Effectively

According to a recent study on student research skills, 75 percent of students do not know how to do a well-defined online search of a given research topic. You might want to share this site with lots of tips on using Google search more effectively. 

18 Educational Apps For Your Smart Phone

Check out these apps for your smart phone including a free app to Ted Talks, Evernote's notetaking app, and an interactive grammar app with over 1800 questions to test your skills.

Teaching Carnival 5.04

Lots of interesting posts on teaching at the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Teaching Carnival 5.04 complied by Mikhail Gershovich (Baruch College, City University of New York).

Great Video On The History Of Google Search

 

Interesting video that shows the evolution of Google Search from its beginnings in 1996 to how it works today as well as Google's plans for the future. Hard to believe we've only been able to "Google" for 15 years, isn't it?

Using Social Media For Research

Dr. Kathy Black (University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee) shares the following resources on how social media is being used by researchers.

Social Media: A Guide for Researchers

List and Links to Social Media Sites 

Case Studies: How Faculty Use Social Media for Research

Tips On Structuring A New Class

I’ve been thinking about how I want to structure a new course for spring and am reading this post by Professor Mike Duvall (College of Charleston). He advocates designing each unit in a course around a series of questions that will stimulate your students' interest. 

I've done this in my Human Resource Management class. For example, when I teach employment law, I start out the module with questions such as:  

Why do we have Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws? 

What type of personnel records do employers need to keep and for how long? 

What types of questions should employers/managers avoid in an interview or on an application form and why?

 

I find the questions get the students thinking about the topic and lead nicely into some great discussions.

 

Related posts:

Are you managing your class prep time and resources wisely?

Developing a syllabus for a class you haven't taught before

 

How To Make Writing Letters Of Recommendation Easier And More Efficient

Writing a letter of recommendation for a student is time consuming even though you want to help the student get a job or into grad school.  Professor Barbara Nixon (Southeastern University) shares this form that she has her students fill out to help her streamline the process.

 

Related posts:

Writing a letter of recommendation for grad school

How to get a great letter of recommendation from your teacher

More tips on asking for a great letter of recommendation

 

Students: What You Can Expect From Your Professors

In my last post, I shared the student conduct guidelines that the faculty in the College of Business at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee developed and that are now posted on our website. The faculty thought we should also be held to a professional code of conduct and thus developed the following list:

 

What you can expect from your College of Business professors:

We will be civil, professional, and ethical in our interactions with you and treat you with respect and dignity.

We will be on time to class and fully prepared to teach using relevant and up-to-date pedagogy.

We will turn off our cell phones before class and refrain from checking messages, thus giving you our undivided attention.

We will follow the grading scale, course policies, exam dates, etc. listed in the syllabus and will not change these policies or dates during the semester without adequate communication.

We will respond to your email questions and grade assignments, quizzes, papers, and exams in a timely manner.

We will be available (and happy to) meet with you to discuss classes, assignments, career choices, etc., as needed.

Our goal is to help you learn what it takes to be successful in the business world. Let’s work together to make you as prepared as possible for your future careers.

 

Students: What Your Professors Expect From You

My colleagues and I at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee have been discussing the need for setting expectations in the classroom and I volunteered to put together some student conduct guidelines. After much editing, we've put together the following expectations that are now posted on our College of Business website.

 

Dear College of Business Student:

If we were to ask you why you decided to get a degree in business, you would probably answer that you wanted to get the best education and training possible in order to be successful in your future career. While that certainly means a working knowledge of finance, accounting, marketing, and management information, theories and tools, another equally important aspect to success is to learn and practice what it takes to be a professional. Thus, your professors will role model the business etiquette used in the workplace and will have high expectations that you too will practice these behaviors. We want you to be successful in your current role as student as well as in your business or service career.  As a result, future employers can count on our business graduates to possess the academic, time management, team member, and leadership skills they want in a new employee.

In order for your professor to do his or her job of helping you to learn through a variety of teaching methods as well as by bringing in real world applications to give substance to the theories being taught, the following will be expected from you, the student:

You will be in class, seated, and ready to participate at the beginning of the class period.  You will also stay in class until dismissed by the professor.

You will come to class prepared, having read the required materials or completed the assignments given. You are encouraged to bring up issues raised in the reading materials for clarification and elaboration in class.

You will take care of any needs for restroom breaks, coffee, returning phone calls, etc. before class begins so you can stay and pay attention for the entire class period.

You will turn off your cell phones before class and refrain from checking your messages during class (in case of an anticipated emergency situation, please inform your instructor before class and place the phone on vibrate)

You will be expected to do your own work for assignments, papers, tests, and projects and turn in your assignments in on time.

You will be expected to contribute your share of work to your team projects and to do your best to make the team experience a positive one for all members.

You will pay attention during class: no talking while classmates or the instructor is talking, no sleeping, no reading newspapers, no doing work for other classes. 

You will keep in mind that the course rules and policies, exam dates, and grading scale apply to all students equally, and will not ask for special treatment.

If you have to miss class, you will get the lecture notes from another student and will pick up any handouts you missed. 

You will keep an open mind and treat members of the class, guest speakers, and your professors with respect and dignity.  

 

Have we missed anything? I'm also curious whether other universities post student expectations on their websites.  

Video Of Student Project In Social Media Class

Here's a 5 minute video of the social media project that my MBA class at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee did this semester that I mentioned in an earlier blogpost. 

 

 

 

 

Student Project In Social Media Class A Huge Success!

 

As you know, social media is a relatively new concept and a few universities are beginning to offer a course on this in their journalism, PR, or marketing programs. This semester I taught a course in Social Media Management and Strategy for the first time in the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s MBA program.  I had given a great deal of thought to what the final exam should be and was thinking I would give them a choice of scenarios and have them pick one and put together a social media plan.

In the meantime, I went out to dinner one night with some friends and heard a local musician, Jonathan Cortez, for the first time.  We were all impressed by the range of music he sang including jazz, blues, top tunes from the 1980’s and even opera. Afterwards, I tried googling him to find future gigs and was surprised to find very little information. The proverbial light bulb came on as I thought he would be a great project for the class. The students agreed and were excited about developing a social media strategy for him, including designing a blog, getting him on LinkedIn and Twitter, updating his Facebook and Youtube accounts, etc. Here’s an article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that talks about their project.

Congrats to the MBA students in Cohort 8! I have to say this was one of the most interesting student projects I have been involved with in my 30 years of teaching!

Ways To Use Twitter In The Classroom

Tom Barrett (Principal Consultant at NoTosh Limited in Nottingham, United Kingdom) shares this google doc of interesting ways to use Twitter in the classroom.

 

Helping Students Improve Their Presentation Skills

I’ve invited Butch Phelps from our local Toastmasters to speak to my students tonight in class on how they can improve their presentation skills. They will be doing their team presentations in two weeks. I’m also thinking about this class activity shared by Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason (Southern University) on using peer feedback to help students improve their skills.

 

Call For Blogposts For Teaching Carnival 5.3

Do you have a recent blogpost related to teaching in higher education that you would like to share? Or have you recently read a useful post by another edublogger? Email me with the link to the post by October 30 to be considered for Teaching Carnival 5.3. And if you haven’t seen all the great information being shared at ProfHacker, check it out at Teaching Carnival 5.2 or go to the home page here.

 

Free Online Talking Dictionary

Not sure how to pronounce a word? I always have to stop and think about how to say "prima facie" in my Human Resource Management classes. Here's a very useful (and free!) online talking dictionary to help both us and our students.

Building A Personal Learning Network To Become A Better Educator

Sarah Fudin (University of Southern California) is today's guest blogger and she writes on developing your own personal learning network. I personally recommend Twitter as a great way to build your PLN and connect with educators from around the world.

As Sarah notes:

The Personal Learning Network (PLN) is not a new concept on college campuses. Professors who are interested in developing further as educators have long known the benefits of networking with colleagues and students in their academic community. With new modes of technology-enabled communication, that community has expanded to include college and university campuses around the world.

Building a PLN in the digital age requires the acquisition of new skills and some possible changes in attitude. Networking with educators who have a variety of backgrounds, standards and teaching philosophies requires an open mind. Whether you've been teaching for just a few years or for several decades, maintaining a desire to learn about different approaches to the educational process will help you stay active and engaged in your profession. Pedagogical strategies and teaching philosophies continually change, but your PLN can help you stay current.

Building an online PLN usually begins by discovering some educational blogs and websites that strike a chord. Look for web content that informs, instructs and inspires. Most blogs and websites that are updated on a regular basis will allow you to subscribe and have regular updates (or "feeds") sent to you in email. You can also use a tool like Google Reader to aggregate your subscription feeds in one convenient location.

A growing number of educators are discovering the networking power of Twitter. By participating in Twitter conversations and weekly chats related to education, thousands of educators have found ways to expand their PLN by connecting with peers and students from around the world. Here is a sampling of a few of the Twitter chats that higher education professionals may find useful:

• #CollegeBound is a weekly Twitter chat hosted by The CollegeBound Network and offers higher education administrators and teachers a unique chance to connect with potential and incoming college students.
• #lrnchat is a weekly Twitter chat that focuses on all aspects of learning – formal, informal, social and mobile. Professional development for educators and educational technology are frequent subjects of discussion.
• #higheredlive is a live weekly web show about the emerging role of social and digital media in higher education and student affairs.
• #PhDchat is a themed Twitter chat session that meets weekly to discuss issues related to postgraduate research. Discussion topics are suggested and voted on by participants.

The best learning networks depend on two-way communication. As you follow blogs, website discussions and Twitter chats, make an effort to add your voice to the conversation. Comment on blog posts or even start your own blog to share links and other resources. Alternatively, become a mentor by responding to questions in areas where you have expertise.

As you expand your PLN, don't forget that some of your most valuable connections may be closest to home. Students, teachers and administrators in your own academic community are important contacts who are likely to share your concerns. In addition to using technology to develop a global PLN, look for opportunities to connect with people in your local learning environment.

 

Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California's Master of Arts in Teaching program, which provides aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a Masters in Teaching online and learn how to become a teacher.  Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, reading and Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

Writing Letters Of Recommendation For Grad School Applicants

Professor Brian Croxall (Emory University) shares tips on how to write an effective letter of recommendation for your students wishing to apply to graduate school.

Free Textbooks For Students

Here's a list of 150 free textbooks (with links to these) covering a variety of topics including Art History, Biology, Business, Science, Education, Math, and Engineering.

Tips For Putting Together Your Elevator Speech

I have talked before about helping your students put together an elevator speech. Here's a great video on how to do this. 

 

Videos For Math Teachers

If you’re teaching mathematics, you might find these videos on how to teach students to write mathematics useful.   These practical tips are presented by Kevin Houston (University of Leeds), Mike Robinson (Shefrield Hallam) and Franco Vivaldi (Queen Mary, University of London). As noted:

Students don’t write mathematics correctly. They throw down a mess of symbols with the answer underlined at the bottom and rely on the examiner’s intelligence to get the marks. Teaching them to write in a more orderly and logical way has numerous advantages: it makes marking easier; allows students to demonstrate understanding (or not); forces an improvement in their thinking skills. Expressing their ideas clearly and correctly is a valuable skill for graduates in further study, employment and life in general.

Professor Houston also offers this free booklet on 10 Ways To Think Like A Mathematician.

Tips On Flipping Your Classroom

If you’ve wondered what the flipped classroom was or how you might use it, check out these articles gathered by the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Flipping your classroom means you have your students view lectures at home (either podcasts or videos) and then use the class time for discussion, experiential exercises, student presentations, etc. Advocates believe it is a much better use of the classroom and leads to more collaboration and creativity. I'm curious if any of you have tried this yet in your classes...

 

Teaching Tools For Math Teachers

Check out this site at Drexel University for math teachers at all levels.

 

How To Help Your Students Learn: Do Teaching That Sticks

This is a great article that I've mentioned before. Check out the tips in Teaching That Sticks by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. 

http://delaney.typepad.com/files/teachingthatsticks.pdf

 

Icebreakers To Help You Learn Your Students' Names

One thing I have learned after 30 years of teaching is that it is very important to learn your students' names. After all, we expect them to learn the concepts, theories, etc, we're teaching so it makes sense that we should take the time to learn their names. Here are some tips on how to do this.

Use Common Sense In Managing Your Classroom

A lot of classroom management is just common sense. Professor Joe Hoyle (University of Richmond) agrees and shares the following tips:

The teacher should know what he or she wants to accomplish. How do you decide what you need to do each day if you don’t know where you and your class are going? How do you evaluate whether you are making the progress you want if you are not sure what you want to see happen? Seems like common sense to me. So, as an exercise, write down in (let’s say) 20 words or less what you want to see your students gain from your classes in the fall. I think this is a great way to start every semester.

I never expect students to do work unless they will eventually (sooner rather than later) see the reason for that assignment. If I ask my students to read a 5 page article for Monday, then on Monday I will question them about that assignment. “In the article you read for today, what did WorldCom do wrong, why do you think they did it that way, and how should they have operated differently?” If an assignment is given but not mentioned later by the teacher, students have every reason to believe they wasted their time.

If a student is given an assignment and it is not done properly, there should be consequences. Students are gamblers. They are constantly weighing out what might happen if they don’t do a certain amount of work. If you ask students to read Chapter One and they don’t and you do nothing about it, then you can certainly expect them NOT to read Chapter Two. That will follow as night follows day. They have now been conditioned (by you) to ignore what you ask them to do.

You can read more of Dr. Hoyle's tips here.

Tips For The New Semester

As we get closer to the first day of the Fall semester, I thought I would share some of these tips for getting ready for classes.

Tips for the first day of class

What not to do in class

Develop a list of FAQs for your students

10 Tips for setting expectations

How To Find Authors To Speak To Your Class Or Bookclub For Free

My students enjoy interacting with the authors of some of the books they are reading. One way to do this is via Skype. Kate Messner has put together a list of authors who are willing to guest speak to your class or book club for free using Skype. Click here for authors.

Thanks to Rachel Labossiere for bringing this post to my attention.

 

How To Turn SmartPhones Into Clickers For The Classroom

I've been thinking of using clickers in one of my classes this fall. Professor Sue Franz (Highline Community College) gives step-by-step directions on how to turn student smartphones into clickers. The students might forget their clickers but it's safe to say they will have their phone with them!

Thanks to Ellen Bremen for pointing me to this post.

 

Reducing Incivility In The Classroom

The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan links to these articles on reducing incivility in the college classroom.  As their website states:

"Broadly defined, classroom incivility is any action that interferes with a harmonious and cooperative learning atmosphere in the classroom. Uncivil student behavior not only disrupts and negatively effects the overall learning environment for students but also contributes to instructors' stress and discontent. The articles in this section describe forms of classroom incivility and ways to reduce disruptive behavior in the college classroom."

Teaching Students To Do An Elevator Speech

In a class I recently taught, we discussed how to do an elevator speech. Essentially it's a short (30 seconds to 3 minutes) introduction of yourself to a potential employer or client that's aimed at presenting a professional first impression. Content might include:

    What makes you unique? 

    What problems can you solve?

    What example can you give that illustrates a successful outcome to a problem?

   

You can access more info here.

Here's an example from business students at the University of South Florida.

 

Apps For Profs

Professor Barbara Nixon (Southeastern University and Florida Southern College) shares these useful apps for professors including ones for keeping attendance, accessing discussion threads on Blackboard, and timing student presentations.

Tips On Handling Disruptive Classroom Behavior

Professors Richard M. Felder and Rebecca Brent (North Carolina State University) discuss options on dealing with classroom management issues of late attendance, sleeping in class, and talking to neighboring students.

As they note, your response should depend on two things: Is the offending behavior distracting the rest of the class from your teaching and is it the first time or an ongoing problem?

Assuming the behavior is disruptive, they state you can react in an aggressive, passive, or assertive manner. The best approach?  Be assertive, not aggressive. “Calmly and clearly stating the problem and asking for what you want is an assertive response.”

You can read their tips here:

 

Bringing The Classroom Into The 21st Century

I’m reading this Time magazine article,  "How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century," which uses an analogy of Rip Van Winkle awakening today and being astonished by all the changes in the workplace. However, when he walks into a classroom, he knows exactly what it is because as he says, it looks like it did back 100 years ago except for the color of the blackboards.

The article goes on to discuss how education hasn't kept pace with other areas of society as students tend to be taught pretty much as their great-grandparents were...sitting while the teacher lectures, taking notes by hand, and using textbooks that are mostly outdated.  Thus, there is a huge gap between what is going on in the classroom and what is going on in the world outside.

The authors espouse that education in the future needs to cross disciplines, include global thinking, and put an emphasis on creative and innovative skills.  In addition, emotional intelligence or people skills will be seen as important for success in the workplace as any other skill.  As noted, "We have to emphasize communication skills, the ability to work in teams and with people from different cultures."

The article ends with:

"Teachers need not fear that they will be made obsolete.  They will, however, feel increasing pressure to bring their methods-along with the curriculum-into line with the way the modern world works.  That means putting a greater emphasis on teaching [students] to collaborate and solve problems in small groups and apply what they've learned in the real world."

And one more note: the authors mention skills that are missing in recent high school graduates entering the workforce such as showing "respect for others as well as [how] to be punctual, responsible and work well in teams." 

All good classroom management skills we can model and enforce.

Using Clickers In The Classroom

Professor William B. Wood (University of Colorado, Boulder) finds that clickers are a teaching gimmick that actually works in the classroom for improving attendance and participation. As he notes, some of the advantages for students are:

They are answering anonymously—no one has to worry about the possible humiliation of giving a “dumb” answer.

Those who did not “get it” realize they’re not the only ones. In a typical lecture situation, such students are often inhibited from asking a question by the belief that “everyone but me probably understood.”

The students are actively engaged with the topic at hand and, therefore, more likely to understand and retain it better than if they were only sitting passively and listening to the instructor.

As instructors, we can find out immediately if students are not getting a point we are discussing and then explain it in more detail instead of waiting to see this lack of understanding on the next exam.

Additional information on how professors are using clickers in the classroom can be found here:

I am thinking of using clickers in one of my undergrad classes this fall. Anyone have any suggestions or tips to share?

 

 

Tips For Students: Establishing Your Personal Brand Online

I talk a lot to my students about determining your personal brand and the various components such as professionalism, emotional intelligence, integrity, etc that go into your brand. Angelita Williams shares five easy steps for students to use social networking sites to establish their personal brand.

 

Managing Student Questions

I often have students ask me questions during class that pertain to information I had planned to cover later that class period. I struggle with whether to stop and answer these or to tell the student I'll be getting to the topic in a few minutes and then trying to remember to come back to the question by the end of the class.  

 

Dr. George H. Williams (University of South Carolina Upstate) has a great solution to this. He asks the students to write down all the questions they have during his lecture as they come up. At the end of class, he usually finds that he has covered most of their questions and he can then answer those few remaining ones. You can read more about his technique here.

 

Getting Your Students To Read

I think we all struggle with getting our students to read the book or articles we assign for class. I've tried tying to class discussion and even giving quizzes to ensure they are reading. Here are some great suggestions from Faculty Focus in this free ebook.  Download Report-11-strategies-getting-students-to-read

Using iPads In The Classroom

Professor Alan Jacobs (Wheaton College) shares his experience on using his ipad in class. You can read more about it here.

For more feedback from professors who use iPads, check out this article here.

 

Creative Web Tools For Story Telling

Here are over 50 web tools that could help students develop their own web-based stories.

 

100 Educational Virtual Tours

Katheryn Rivas shares a list of virtual tours of cities, museums, famous landmarks, and buildings. As she notes, "you can learn how things are made, explore the human body or that of a life-sized whale, and visit ball parks and theme parks. There is even a section of incredible virtual tours that Google Earth has compiled that shares the world in a whole new way." The tours would be appropriate to use in history, science, geography, and art classes, among others. You can access the list of 100 educational virtual tours here.

 

Podcast On Using Twitter To Improve College Student Engagement

Professor Rey Junco (Lock Haven University) shares cutting-edge research as well as his personal experiences on how to engage your students by using Twitter. You can access his podcast here.

 

How To Do A Better Job Teaching

Dan Meyer looks at how we can do a better job teaching math in this great video but really his suggestions apply to many subjects.

• Use multimedia (students are used to visual stimuli and this helps to get and keep their attention)
• Encourage student intuition (give examples that students can relate to so that they can figure out practical solutions)
• Ask the shortest question you can (grab your students' attention by starting off your lecture with a question)
• Let students build the problem (what information would they want to know or find out in order to answer your question?)
• Be less helpful (We tend to do too much hand-holding with our students. Encourage them to figure out things for themselves).

 

Twitter As Part Of Your Personal Learning Network

Professor Skip Via (University of Alaska, Fairbanks) shares how he thinks Twitter can be an useful tool in higher education in this video.